In recent years, magnetic tape cartridges have been provided with a cartridge memory, which stores management information inherent in the cartridge, such as contents stored in the magnetic tape cartridge, kinds of magnetic tape cartridges, etc. Since such a cartridge memory is capable of transmitting and receiving electric power or signals with electromagnetic induction in a non-contacting manner, it is accommodated in the cartridge case of the magnetic tape cartridge.
Of these magnetic tape cartridges provided with a cartridge memory, and especially magnetic tape cartridges which satisfy LTO (Linear Tape Open) standard, in consideration of readiness to design a magnetic circuit which causes the cartridge memory electromagnetic induction in a recording/playback device, as shown in FIG. 16, a rectangular-shaped thin plate-like cartridge memory 110 is arranged obliquely with respect to a bottom plate 103 of a lower half 102.
In the lower half 102 of the conventional magnetic tape cartridge as illustrated in FIG. 16, one bottom side 110a of the cartridge memory 110 is engaged with protrusions 108 projecting from the bottom plate 103 of the lower half 102, and a center part of the cartridge memory 110 is supported by two retaining ribs 104 projecting from the bottom plate 103 of the lower half 102 such that the cartridge memory 110 slants by 45 degrees with respect to the bottom plate 103. Furthermore, in order to prevent the cartridge memory 110 from sliding at the bottom side 110a, rod-like restriction pins 105 projecting from the bottom plate 103 of the lower half 102 hold both sides of the cartridge memory 110.
A pair of memory supporting strips 115 is provided inwardly of a side wall 113 of an upper half 112 and parallelly to the retaining ribs 104 of the lower half 102 for supporting the top surface of the cartridge memory 110. The lower end of each memory supporting strip 115 is formed as a supporting slanted surface 115a slanted by 45 degree with respect to the bottom plate 103 so that upon assembling the upper half 112 and the lower half 102, the cartridge memory 110 is sandwiched between the memory supporting surfaces 115a and the retaining ribs 104.
When assembling the magnetic tape cartridge including the cartridge memory 110, a reel around which a magnetic tape is wound is positioned in the middle of the lower half 102, and subsequently other elements such as a safety lug, a cartridge memory 110, a release pad, a lock plate, and spring member for urging the lock plate in one direction are arranged in predetermined positions of the lower half 102 or the reel. Finally, the upper half 112 is assembled with respect to the lower half 102 and fixed by screws, so that the cartridge memory 110 is sandwiched and supported between the retaining ribs 104 of the lower half 102 and the memory supporting strips 115 of the upper half 112.
However, the shape of the lower half 102 to accommodate constituent elements and each constituent element have slight dimensional errors. Therefore, when the upper half 112 is assembled with the lower half 102, each constituent element arranged in the lower half 102 bumps against the corresponding space of the upper part into which each constituent element is fitted. As a result, correction of the position of each constituent element is required upon carrying out the assembly. If these constituent elements are not made from a resilient material such as spring, vibration occurs for each constituent element during the assembly, leading to a possible rise of the cartridge memory 110 due to the vibration.
If the upper half 112 is assembled with the lower half 102 while the cartridge memory 110 has been rising, there are some possible drawbacks that the cartridge memory 110 is broken by the memory supporting strips 115 of the upper half 112, and that the cartridge memory 110 is deviated from the predetermined retaining position, resulting a read/write error of the cartridge memory 110.
When the magnetic tape cartridge 110 is adapted to large-scale production by the use of an assembling device, the lower half 102 and the upper half 112 of the magnetic tape cartridge or other internal parts are in turn assembled while they are arranged in transferring pallets and carried with a conveyor. However, acceleration will arise due to accelerated or decelerated transferring pallet at the moment the transferring pallet is moved or stopped. Since the cartridge memory 110 is a extremely light element and positioned obliquely with respect to the lower half 102, the cartridge memory 110 would rise due to an impact caused by this acceleration. The cartridge memory 110 would also rise due to vibration of the transferring conveyor and the like.
In order to prevent rising of the cartridge memory 110, in a conventional method, the cartridge memory 110 is adhered with glue to the lower half 102.
However, when glue 120 is applied to the retaining ribs 104 to attach the cartridge memory 110 on the retaining ribs 104, as best seen in FIG. 17 that is a side elevation viewing from the arrow Z of FIG. 16, the cartridge memory 110 slightly floats from the retaining ribs 104 because of glue 120. For this reason, a press jig 116 for attachment is employed. The press jig 116 has a pressing portion to press the upper surface of the cartridge memory 110. When the press jig 116 presses the cartridge memory 110 at the pressing portion, the cartridge memory 110 is pulled in the diagonally downward direction because of a frictional force raised between the press jig 116 and the cartridge memory 110. As the result, the cartridge memory 110 is deviated from the predetermined assembling position.
Such a defective positioning results in a read/write error of the cartridge memory 110, and in some cases, the cartridge memory 110 would be broken upon assembling the upper half 112 and the lower half 102.
When the cartridge memory 110 is automatically assembled with the aforementioned magnetic tape cartridge by means of the assembling device, a robot having suction means may be employed.
However, as shown in FIG. 16, a globe top 110b for sealing an IC chip of the cartridge memory 110 swells as a ridge, comparing with other parts of the cartridge memory 110. For this reason, if the cartridge memory 110 is supplied to the assembling device with the globe top faced downward, the printed board is liable to tilt, which causes a gap between the suction means and the cartridge memory 110. Therefore, the suction means often fails to pick up the cartridge memory properly. Furthermore, the suction means often contacts with the reel around which the magnetic tape is wound, which prevents assembly of the cartridge memory in the proper position.
With the foregoing drawbacks of the prior art in view, the purpose of the present invention is to improve the upper half, the lower half, and the cartridge memory of the cartridge case, thereby improving assembling characteristics of the cartridge memory as well as preventing defective assembly of the magnetic tape cartridge.
It is another object of the present invention to provide improvements in the method of assembling the cartridge memory with respect to the magnetic tape cartridge and in the press jig for attachment for positioning the cartridge memory in a predetermined position, thereby preventing defective assembly of the magnetic tape cartridge.
It is still another object of the present invention to ensure that an assembling device, which carries out assembly of the cartridge memory with respect to the magnetic tape cartridge, suctions the cartridge memory with the suction means and that the suctioned cartridge memory is assembled accurately, thereby preventing defective assembly of the cartridge memory.